Boys Lax Notebook: Lax Begins, Ends at Yorktown, Home of 37-Time Section Champs

Lakeland/Panas, Mahopac Hope to Contend in Wide Open Class A; Put Valley Starts Anew in C

Where it all starts, is where it all ends in the Section 1 lacrosse world. It starts with Yorktown High, among the premier programs in the nation, and for 43 of the last 47 years it has ended there; with Yorktown winning the Section 1 and/or Hudson Valley championship before representing the region in the NYSPHSAA tournament where the Cornhuskers have been crowned state champions seven times, behind only to West Genny (15) and Ward Melville (8) in NYS.

And look no further than Yorktown (18-5) when searching for your 2015 Section 1 Class B favorites. Coach Dave Marr’s reigning NYS champions may have lost a ton of talent to graduation, including three All-Americans — Luke Palmadesso (Villanova), Conor Vercruysse (Rutgers) and Austin Fusco (Syracuse) — but the Huskers bring back far more than anyone else in Section 1.

CLASS B is Yorktown’s for the taking this season, with perhaps SOMERS or another program providing the stiffest challenge as JOHN JAY goes into rebuilding mode for at least a year. The Huskers are stacked where it matters most, at the midfield where they must fill the void of face-off man Palmadesso, one of the best two-way players in recent memory, who shined in their 10-9 NYS title win over Jamesville-DeWitt.

When it comes time to pay the piper, Yorktown will always be ready to pay the man, and the midfield is where it all starts with M/A Nick Del Bene (32 G-18 A-50 P), Monmouth-bound M/A Michael Dedvukaj (36-8-44) and M Ryan Baker (19-9-28). Others expected to carry the load on offense include Billy Strassman, Justin Cavallo and Logan Peters, who each scored eight or more goals last season.

Dedvukaj is stoked to carry on the tradition.

“We got a lot of great new guys this year,” he exclaimed! “We have Justin Cavallo, a sophomore, who is absolutely ridiculous. He’s a lefty attackman and plays like a Canadian. We have Logan Peters, a big 6’3” 240-pound attackman who’s pretty much impossible to stop unless you double him.

Defensively, Yorktown will need to replace two-time A-A Fusco, perhaps its finest long pole since two-time A-A Stephen McElduff, and the only three time A-A in program history, Chris Watson. Additionally, All-Section G Austin Graham improved with each game before excelling in the playoffs, and the void in goal is a huge one that junior Liam Donnelly will attempt to fill. LSM Jose Boyer is a beast to keep your eyes on, as are poles Tyler Makar and Timmy Forbes, a strong physical senior defenseman who can push attackman around.

Boyer, just a soph, may already be the best defenseman in the section. Fast and physical, the kid is already drawing comparisons to Fusco.

“He’s a freak of nature,” Devukaj said.

Here’s what we know: The Huskers have simply re-loaded where they lost key personnel, and there’s not whole heck of lot stopping them from winning yet another sectional crown while providing a typical run at the state jewel.

“That’s always the goal,” Dedvukaj said.

SOMERS (14-5) enters an entirely new era with first-year Coach Vin DeGregorio taking over the reins from Lew Janavey, who was unceremoniously excused from the position he held since 2009, the last year Somers won the Section 1 Class B crown. That was during the final year of the then-Syracuse-bound JoJo Marasco run. Marasco is now with the MLL’s NY Lizards and the Tuskers haven’t seen hide nor hair of the Section 1 championship JoJo bolted.

Somers has been seeking the next level since JoJo left for ’Cuse where he attained All-American levels, but either Yorktown or John Jay has been in Somers’ way, leaving DeGregorio with the same problem Janavey and a phalanx of other coaches in Section 1 is left with: How to beat Yorktown.

DeGregorio spent the last six seasons as Greeley’s lead dog, and the Tuskers spent the entire off-season mired in what went wrong during their shocking 14-5 semifinal loss to Byram Hills. That is undoubtedly stuck in the craw of top returnees, including skillful poles Sean Wagner and Joe Spor, plus middies Tyler DeVito, Andrew Gross and Pat Cousin, as well as attackmen Rob Zatolla and AJ Cartelli.

With nine impact players to graduation, the goal remains the same at prideful Somers, where expectations are to contend with Yorktown and win a Section 1 title.

“The boys are committed to working hard and pushing each other to maximize their potential,” said DeGregorio, a former All-Section player at Yorktown. They also understand the effort required to achieve a success. Good senior leadership coupled with talented newcomers has created a great atmosphere.”

BREWSTER Coach Michael Honey enters his 9th year as Bears’ coach coming off an 8-9 season whereby the Bears were eliminated by Class B runnerup Byram Hills in the opening round of sectionals. He will do so without the All-American services of Fairfield-bound middie Liam DaRos.

Several returnees are expected to have impactful seasons for the Bears (8-9), including the coach’s son, freshman A Ryan Honey and A Tyler Gonska. At midfield, seniors Joe Guida and Joe Petrogallo return, along with junior Kevin Blank.

The defense has been hit hard by graduation, seeing only pole Nick Coco and G Chris Schaub return.

Key newcomers include M Jack Guida (soph) and junior D Nick Panucci and Jeremy Meissner.

“Our goal each year is to try and get better each day and peak when we get to sectionals,” said Honey. “We are very young in spots and play in a very tough league. We can’t get discouraged; the key will be to remain positive and grow as a team. This is a great group of kids and I am really looking forward to this season.”

HEN HUD (8-9) lost in the first round against Greeley last year when the Sailors jumped to Class B after losing to Bronxville in the Class C finals. They quickly found out that the jump to B isn’t for the light-hearted, but 18^th-year Coach Craig Solomon thinks the current unit is a year wiser with a slew of top-flight returnees, including seniors A Ryan Tandy, M Matt Kolesar, A Chris Ryan, and a stout set of poles that include Carson Jacobs, Ryan Lustyik and Matt Kenny in front of senior G Peter Fennell.

The juniors are strong and middie Mike Smith (58-14-72) is the team’s most prolific scorer, who will go full bore at the Hen Hud career scoring mark the next two seasons. He will be joined at midfield by Nick Marra and Jared Hershman. D Sebastian Burbano is another junior.

Top newcomers will include senior Nick Anapol and underclassmen Frank Riefenhauser, Joey Ledwin, Aiden Barry, Joe Pecchia, Andrew Persaud, Santiago Cardona, Mike Moran and a trio of talented freshmen in Alan Jackson freshman (LSM), Vinny Bell (G) and Austin Fraser (A).

“We do have a great deal of experience on the offensive side of the ball and we have had a great crew to start to the season,” said Solomon. “Our goals as always is to compete in every game, improve throughout the season and play our best come sectional time. I think this season could be special for us. We have a solid group of returning players and a bunch of young kids who will contribute right away for us. Our schedule is very competitive as always and we look forward to having to play our best every game.

CLASS A

LAKELAND/PANAS (15-6) has had a Sienna-bound Prunty brother as the front man for the last two Section 1 Class A championships the Rebels have won (2010-14); both Connor and Brian, respectively, each passing the reigns from one brother to the other, with Brian doing so lastly to skillful junior A Kevin Prunty (29-19-48), the last in the line.

Coach Jim Lindsay’s Rebels have been hit hard by graduation and repeating the feat as Class A champs is something the district has failed to do since the 1991 three-peat, the tail end of the Ric Beardsley era; an era unlike any other in the history of Lakeland lacrosse. The Rebels may never see another period like that again, but the Class A tourney is there for the taking without a clear-cut pre-season favorite, unless one subscribes to the hype coming out of an improved Arlington camp.

If it all starts at midfield, which it does, then the Rebels are in a good place with junior faceoff man Nick Vazquez, one of the best in the region off the draw. But besides he and Prunty, the Rebels don’t have very much varsity experience, so Lindsay admitted the team we see now should be vastly different from the one we see in May. If it is indeed a rebuilding year, Lindsay will never cries the blues. He will coach his kids to be competitive and work them hard to be better.

The junior class is pretty solid with Joe Cortese displaying a quick first step and a finishing touch. Watch out for sophomore Sean Makar is going to be a stud attackman, who sees the field real well. LSM Griffin Shialand is solid. G Kevin Dyckman will be taking over for Mike Zingaro between the pipes and looks to have a ton of potential, as do young attackmen Kyle Castner and Tim Fallo.

MAHOPAC tail-spun last season when the dearth of scoring became so prevalent that the Indians failed to keep up with Class C teams like Putnam Valley, for a second-straight year. Not that Putnam Valley is anyone’s slouch but a legit Class A title contender has to be able to beat the second-tier teams in Class C, which Mahopac was able to do down the stretch when it upset eventual NYS Class C champion Bronxville and Class B runner-up John Jay.

Youthful Mahopac came on strong down the stretch, and with an additional year of seasoning under their collective belts, the Indians (8-10) look like they could be one of the last two teams standing this season.

The athleticism within this unit runs fairly deep with sniping senior attackman DJ Pearl, juniors M Dan Foley and Yale-bound LSM Aidan Foley are legit, joining senior pole Max Littleton, plus the expected emergence of juniors Christian Donahoe and Johnny Ward, who are both nursing minor injuries. Nick Sehring, Robert Buckley, Ryan Maloney and Frankie Ward will provide some depth.

Newcomers like Andrew Evens, Zach Carlin, Chris Howard, Johnnie Ward, Shane McDondald, Tom Wilson and Joe Cavaciuti are hoping to be impactful

“Foley and DJ are going to have a big season for us,” eighth-year Mahopac Coach Mike Haddeland said. “They will be up there as our leading scorers this season. A lot of the juniors are going to have good seasons for us. The junior class is very good. We will be a tough out once we get healthy.   Donahoe is dealing with a knee injury and Johnny Ward is also out with a leg injury, so we are without two starters for a bit. At least it will let some of the young guns get some time.”

M Andrew Evans, only a soph, is someone to keep serious tabs on, as are junior poles Zack Carlin and Chris Howard; both solid athletes alongside Littleton, giving the Indians three close defenders that are 6’1” or better and over 190 pounds.

Junior G Michael Aurisicchio improved steadily last season and should be solid between the pipes for the Indians, who will be in a league with a vastly improved Arlington club that is looking to steal Mahopac’s thunder.

CLASS C

PUTNAM VALLEY (12-7) will have reigning NYS champion Bronxville to contend with and there is some doubt as to whether or not first-year Coach Tad Ignatz can run with the Broncos this spring, as they seek to become the first Section 1 team to repeat as NYS champions since Yorktown’s three-peat back in 1993.

The Tigers, semifinal losers to Pleasantville last season, are setting their sights on getting back to the Class C finals for the first time since 2010.

Senior A Kyle Bronzo (26-16-42) is built like the proverbial brick crapper and a healthy Jack O’Connell should provide a significant boost to the depleted midfield corps, but the strength of this unit lies in its goaltender, senior Ryan Mello. The St. Thomas Aquinas-bound captain is one of the more gifted goalies in the region and he will be tested often as the Tigers break in two new poles alongside senior Connor Malone.

Expect the Tigers to produce a League I-B title as they appear (on past history) to be as good or better than every team in their new league, but they may not add up to post-season success with lesser challenges coming from non-traditional powers like Ossining, Haldane, North Salem, Peekskill and Pawling (2X each). HALDANE will need to replace the 80 points scored by George Fibble as they look to reach the next tier in Section 1 lax.

Ignatz is stoked for Year 1 of the new era, hoping it is the start of continuing a Brian Kuczma-led tradition that produced three Section 1 championships from 2004-10, but the Tigers have failed to reach the finals ever since repeating in 2010. The rise of Bronxville has coincided with several years of mediocrity at PV, including a 4-11 season and a first-round ousting in 2011. PV went 12-7 last year and hopes to be a finalists this season.

“We have a highly motivated group of young men and coaches working hard to make this a great season here at Putnam Valley,” Ignatz said. “Our goal is to continue to build on the core values that this program has always been about and continue to work hard to play our best lacrosse every game. We brought in former players Billy Ries and Ryan Fitzgerald as assistants and I have Evan Kneuer and John McLean working at the JV level. All of these individuals played on the 2009 or 2010 sectional title teams and they know what it takes to compete at that level and their influence on our players is already showing. The team is looking forward to a great season of lacrosse and stepping up to the challenges that wait for us throughout our schedule.”

Ignatz said the coaches will lean heavily on the experience of returning seniors; Bronzo, Jacob DeMey, Sam Honors, Malone, Mello and O’Connell.

LEAGUE BREAKDOWN (2x around)

League I-A – Arlington (A), Carmel (A), Hen Hud (B), Lakeland/Panas (A), Mahopac (A), Lourdes (C), Wappingers (A)

League I-B – Haldane (C), North Salem (C), Ossining (B), Pawling (C), Peekskill (B), Putnam Valley (C)

League I-C – Brewster (B), Fox Lane (A), Greeley (B), John Jay (B), Somers (B), Yorktown (B)

Past Local Section 1 Champions Since 1967

Yorktown 37 (every year except 2010, ‘06, 1997, ’79, ’75, ‘76)

Mahopac 9 (2011, ’04, ’02, ’01, ’00, 1996, ’95, ’93, ’92)

Somers 6 (2009, ’06, ’03, ’02, ’01, ’00)

Lakeland/Panas 5 (2014, ’10, ’03, 1997, ’94)

Lakeland 3 (1991, ’90, ’89)

Put Valley 3 (2010, ’09, ’04)

Brewster 1 (1999)

Panas 1 (1975)

Section 1 finals at White Plains

May 21: Class C, 3 p.m.; Class A, 5:30 p.m.; Class B, 8 p.m.